AL AIN // The Iraq manager Jorvan Vieira was unhappy that he had been unable to give his squad a decent time to prepare before Saturday's 2-2 match against the UAE.
"We have a good team but the problem is to get them together," said the Brazilian after the 2-2 draw at Al Ain's Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium
"This has been our problem for a long time and continues to persist.
"My players are based in different countries and I don't have much time to prepare them for a competition."
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's poor run of form ahead of the Gulf Cup continued when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Syria in a friendly at Prince Mohammed bin Fahad Stadium in Dammam.
The Saudis, strong contenders to lift the trophy, were beaten 1-0 by Bahrain last week and failed to see off Syria yesterday.
Saudi Arabia took the lead on 22 minutes when Osama Hawsawi headed home a corner but Syria levelled five minutes into the second-half through Raja Rafe.
The Saudis, who play in the UAE's Group B at the Gulf Cup. alongside Yemen and Qatar, kick off their campaign in Oman against Qatar on Jan 5.
Bahrain have suffered a blow after midfielder Rashid Al Dossary was ruled out of the tournament through injury.
The Muharraq midfielder, 33, a key player for his side, tore back muscles in training last week.
* With agencies
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
